Young people are talking about HBO at unprecedented rates

Over one in four US consumers ages 18-34 have recently discussed the network with friends and family members

You can probably blame it on HBO’s highly popular “Game of Thrones,” which, in case you haven’t heard, just began its eighth and final season. Last Sunday’s premiere episode attracted a reported 17.4 million total viewers, including via HBO Go and HBO Now, making it the most-watched HBO telecast in history.

The latest numbers from YouGov Plan and Track show that, at present, 27% of US consumers ages 18-34 recall talking about the network with friends and family members in the past two weeks. That’s a new record for the brand, which YouGov began tracking in late 2012.

Since January 2019, the networks industry as a whole has averaged a Word of Mouth score of 7% among US consumers ages 18-34. Among US adults ages 18+, HBO’s current Word of Mouth score stands at 18%.

YouGov’s Buzz metric — which asks consumers if they’ve heard anything positive or negative about a particular brand in the past two weeks — reveals another reassuring sign for HBO. While the network started 2019 with a Buzz score of +21 among younger adult consumers, over the past month that number has increased to reach +26.

Among all US adults ages 18+, HBO’s present Buzz score is +15.

Additional YouGov data finds that US consumers who have a positive opinion of “Game of Thrones” are more likely than the average American adult to agree that streaming services have changed TV watching for them (74% vs. 61%), enjoy watching advertisements featuring their favorite celebrities (43% vs. 32%), and live in a suburb (37% vs. 31%).

Daily brand perception data

What the world thinks

About YouGov

At the heart of our company is a global online community, where millions of people and thousands of political, cultural and commercial organizations engage in a continuous conversation about their beliefs, behaviors and brands.

Global Sites

At the heart of our company is a global online community, where millions of people and thousands of political, cultural and commercial organizations engage in a continuous conversation about their beliefs, behaviors and brands.